Jo Hyun Jae

Rain

Rain’s much-hyped Hollywood debut “Ninja Assassin” opened in the U.S. on Nov.25, the day before Thanksgiving.  The full-page newspaper ad shows his body (bare breast) and the lower half of his face (unrecognizable) with a dagger in his right hand and blood everywhere, which gives you some idea of what this movie is about.  Rating: R for strong, bloody stylized violence throughout, and language.  What on earth is “stylized” violence?  Let me quote from the movie review by Michael Phillips of the Los Angeles Times: “In ‘Ninja Assassin’, which is numbingly gory when it isn’t just plain numbing, the assassin Raizo, played by Korean pop star and budding actor Rain, rains down on his interchangeable adversaries like his own name.  The script is pretty damp too.” and “How’s Rain?  He’s fine. He suffers prettily.”  I’ve seen the TV ads and the trailers online: they’re quite “stylized”, meaning slick, but all dark, which may be the mood of the movie.  Somehow none shows Rain’s face clearly (deliberately mysterious?)  I suppose it is quite an achievement to have a Hollywood movie under your belt, with your name ranking #1 among the cast.  But if Hollywood producers only see Asian actors as killing machines, I do not want Jo Hyun-Jae to ever make a Hollywood movie.  It will be a total waste of his talents.

New Moon

“Ninja Assassin” may be for action buffs, but the movie that has all young people (mostly girls) here in hysteria is the second installment of the so-called “Twilight” saga: “New Moon”.  It posted the third largest opening in American box-office history, having sold an estimated $142.8 million the weekend of its opening on Nov.20, after “The Dark Knight” and “Spiderman 3″.   Opening weekend overseas (in 24 countries) total $132.1 million.  So “New Moon” opened to $274.9 million, the 6th highest worldwide debut of all time.  And “Twilight” is the #1 DVD seller in 2009.  I haven’t seen “New Moon” yet but I rather like “Twilight”.  The actors are pretty; the plot is simple; the mood is romantic in a dark way.  But as film art, it’s totally forgettable.  I look at these figures and I think of JHJ’s “Forbidden Love”.  It is no less beautiful, mysterious, or poignant (perhaps more so) than “Twilight”, and the characters are cooler.  But that’s the magic of Hollywood.  No wonder everybody wants a piece of the pie.

Korean TV

Americans finally switched from analog to digital TV broadcasting in June 2009.  All of a sudden I now have 6 or 7 Korean channels (even though I don’t have cable or satellite.)  They include MBC, MBN, KBSAmerica, Arirang, YTN, and sometimes SBS and CGNTV.  Arirang is the only one in English and it has all these pop singers and actors on all the time, among other things.  Actually Arirang is billed as “Korea’s global TV” and it comes in 7 languages, including Chinese, Russian, and Arabic. The other channels show news, dramas and other programmes in Korean.  Since none has anything on JHJ, I don’t sit down to watch.  But I see a lot of that MC who is on the “Only You” TV Special, the short guy with the glasses and buck teeth, the one who says at another presentation ceremony that he would like to exchange looks with JHJ in his next life.  Since he appreciates JHJ, I’ve always had a soft spot for him.  He is on a lot of shows, some family shows (whole family is on) and game shows, so he must be very popular.  If he can make it big in Korea, surely our JHJ should have no problem making a comeback next year.

Golf

I played a few rounds of golf with my husband when he was still here.  Ever heard of the saying: “Play together, stay together”?  That was why I took up golf a few years ago, even though I don’t have a single sports gene in me.  At one game the other twosome were two Korean young men, Korean-Americans, to be exact.  They work for Samsung and one of them, Jeff, has just relocated back to California after two years in Seoul.  As soon as I heard that, my eyes lit up.  My husband, who could read me like a book, immediately shook his head.  He was afraid I was going to ask him about JHJ.  If he had been a woman, maybe I would, but he’s a man, and a young man at that, so he’s probably more into those sexy female singing groups like the Wonder Girls.  They played very well, especially Jeff, who told me his game improved tremendously during the two years in Seoul because fairways on Korean golf courses are very narrow, so he had to learn to hit really straight.  I immediately thought of Han Soo-Hyun in “3 Dads/1Mom” and those golf scenes which show JHJ could really play (his form is very good), and I don’t mean that ridiculous but very funny scene of him practising in the Men’s room.

A family affair

I don’t know about you but for me “star-chasing” is a family affair.  There is only one star in my firmament, so it makes things simple.  At first everybody was very surprised, of course, since I am of a studious temperament and have never engaged in any frivolous activities in my life.  Then they probably thought it’s the onset of Alzheimer’s and that it’s best to humour me.  When it did not look like I was about to desist anytime soon, everybody started to take JHJ seriously.  My husband has been especially supportive and encouraging.  He keeps telling me: “Do what you want to do, so you won’t have any regrets.”  That’s why I could go to Japan twice and Korea twice in 2008 and the same again in 2009 on JHJ business.  And he knows I’m prepping for the big day in June 2010 (all other trips have to be on hold.)  My son who was here for the weekend asked me: “When is your Korean star coming out of the army?”  I never discuss JHJ with him; I was very moved he even remembered.  And my younger brother (Note: If you’ve been with us from the very beginning in Google.blogspot, you’ll know he’s the one who started this blog for us) came to see me yesterday.  First thing he said was: “How’s your other son?”  Took me a few seconds to catch on.  Now JHJ is a member of my family; everybody has embraced him.  Everybody can see I have become much happier since becoming a JHJ fan (not that I was unhappy before.)  Everybody knows I am busy with our blog every day, so they don’t have to worry about me getting bored or losing my mental faculties.  Thank you, JHJ!

EVER just sent Jo Hyun-Jae more gifts.  They include the usual cakes and snacks, pound cake, pecan pie, and cookies, as well as fruit and jelly and various kinds of tea. There are also sunscreen, soap, and lotion.  This time they also sent  magazines and books (one of which is called “Good scripts, bad scripts”.  Interesting, huh?)

(Credit: Photos from EVERjohyunjae.co.kr.  Thanks!)

Installment 4 of your Sunday “Only You” video.

This  video starts with the famous kissing scene which requires only one take.  Han Chae-Young says it is more difficult doing it with someone you know very well.  The reporter has the gall to ask: “How come no NG?”  Obviously a rhetorical question, but Jo Hyun-Jae answers in all seriousness: “The director says he wants the feeling of the first time.”

Han Chae-Young has given JHJ a nickname — Old Man — because he is always so serious.  “Always half a beat too slow to respond.  Never knows when people are pulling his leg.”  Reporter asks JHJ: “Do you like this nickname?”  JHJ admits he has often been said to be mature beyond his years.

Reporter teases JHJ: “You never say much.  You must have spoken your quota of words for one year in this interview.”

Han Chae-Young speaks a little Italian — a sentence that she translates as: “Cuisine is art.”  Asked to say something in Italian, JHJ says: “My character in the drama does not understand Italian at all.”

Reporter says: “I heard that you sang at your fan meeting.”  And then footage of JHJ in Guardian is shown.

Asked to say something to the viewers, JHJ reminds them to be sure to watch “Only You” which starts on June 4?  They’re laughing because he’s not sure about the date.

The second half of the video is all about Han Chae-Young.  If you can read the Chinese subtitles, fine.  If not, please excuse us for not translating what she says.  The one part when she speaks English is when she is asked to show off her English.  If you are not a fan of hers or her signature laugh, you can skip this segment.

(Credit: Many thanks to kkisok of johyunjae.hk for uploading the video!)

That’s our favourite JHJ photo up there, in case you haven’t guessed.

(Credit: cafe.daum.net/hyunjaelove, param of CarpeDiemJAPAN, www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

The Japanese version is from CarpeDiemJAPAN’s Rei who translated the original post from CAFEKorea’s バンシリ (2009.11.26 – 20:02)

Hi, everyone.  Good evening.

There is a new post from CarpeDiemKOREA today, so here it is.

Many fans must be very worried.  I too am very unhappy.

Today I contacted the management office re delivery of the calendars.  I also heard something about Hyun-Jae’s father’s condition.

His father’s health is indeed worrying, but his condition is not that bad.  He is still bedridden and he does want to see Hyun-Jae.

The management office’s President thanks fans for their concern and their many letters of consolation.

So many letters means we are all very concerned about Hyun-Jae.  Everybody is shocked by the news.

No matter what, if H1N1 subsides, perhaps scheduled leaves will be granted again.

If this really happens, will those fans who are about to send letters of consolation write in a lighter and brighter way?

Perhaps then Hyun-Jae will feel more relaxed and even a little happier?

The calendars you are anticipating will be sent here early next month, and we will mail them to you as soon as possible.

Today is CarpeDiem.*

(* Editor: “carpe diem” is Latin meaning “seize the day” or “enjoy life while you can”.)

顕宰様のお父様の消息
バンシリ

皆さん、こんばんは。。
本日、韓国カルペディエムにバンシリ様からのスレ立てがありましたので、ここにも紹介しますね。

ファンの皆様、さぞ心配だったでしょう。
私も心を痛めており、ずっと憂鬱でした。

今日、カレンダー配送の件もあって事務所と連絡をとりました。
それから、お父様の近況についてもそっと聞いてみました。
お父様の病状は、心配するほど、悪くないとおっしゃっていました。
寝たきりが続いていて、顕宰様にもとても会いたがっていますが。

事務所の社長は、ファンがこんなことでお手紙を書くよりは…
ただ見守って差しあげることを望んでおられます。
なぜならば、顕宰様が私達ファンのスレや手紙のせいでいろいろ
ご心労されるでしょうから。

ともかく、新型インフルが静まれば、定期休暇もいただけるでしょう。
もしかしたら慰問手紙を書こうとしていたファンがいらっしゃったら、
もっと明るい内容に書き換えて見るのはいかがでしょうか。
顕宰様の気持ちが少しでも和らぐように…少しでも幸せを感じられるように…

カレンダーは来月の月初には届くと思うので、届き次第発送しますね。
今日もカルペディエムですよ。

(Credit: http://hyunjaelove.jp; http://tistory.com; www.thaitv3.com; www,johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

And this is from EVERKorea:

에버님들..
너무 걱정하거나 너무 안쓰럽게 생각하지 마세요~
우리가 너무 걱정하고, 안타까워 하면, 그것 또한 현재님의 걱정이 일부분이 될까봐…
현재님은 우리가 생각 하는 것보다 더 강한 분이세요.
그런 분에게 화이팅!!!! 을 외쳐 드리자구요~!

에버님들이 드러내놓고 말하고 있지 않지만…
다들…안타까워 하는 마음들이…
다 들려 오는 듯 합니다…
그런것들이 다~ 현재님을 걱정하고 안쓰러워 하는 마음들이겠지요.

우리가 걱정하고 있기 보다는…
그냥 힘내라고….감싸 주는 것이 더 좋지 않을까 합니다.
옆에 그냥..있어 주는…….

우리가 무언가를 덜어 줄 수는 없겠지만..
잠시 잊고 쉴 수 있게 해 줄 수 있지 않을 까 해서요..
왜냐면, 에버님들은 현재님의 포근한 휴식처이자 버팀목이니깐요..

그러니…너무 걱정하지 마시구요~
웃으세요~ ^__^

흐린 날씨이지만,
에버님들, 현재님…
모두 모두 화이팅~~~~!!!!! 입니다. ^^

Ever nim…
Don’t worry too much about him.
I am afraid your worry may become a part of Hyunjae’s worry…
Hyunjae is stronger than we expect.
Let’s say to him “Cheer up”

Though you didn’t express your worried minds,
it seems that all your minds come up to me…

I think it may be better to cover him, to cheer him up,
and only to be on his side,
than to worry about him.

We can’t take a load off his mind,
but we may make him forget it and take a rest for a short time.
Because you are warm resting places and props for Hyunjae.

So… don’t worry too much~
and smile~ ^__^

It is cloudy but
Ever nim, Hyunjae nim…
Cheer up~~~!!! ^^

We wrote to the Master of EVERKorea as soon as the news came out and she wrote back to say:

I don’t know why such news came out… But we heard “Don’t worry too much”.

So let’s not worry too much and pray that everything may be Okay.

The press conference to introduce “G.P.506″ took place on March 4, 2008.  These two videos are a feast for the eyes.  Don’t ask us what the Korean says.  Just look at Jo Hyun-Jae for 20 minutes.  (Or watch both videos at the same time, if you don’t understand Korean.)  It will make your day!

I just discovered a requirement for being a movie star (from watching these videos)  — you have to be able to NOT BLINK when flashlights go off before your eyes every other second!  Just the reflection of the flashes hurts my eyes.  I marvel how JHJ could sit there looking so cool.

It’s Thanksgiving today (November 26.)  Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the U.S. (4th Thursday of Nov.) and Canada (2nd Monday of Oct.)  Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general, but now it is just a secular holiday.  Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family and friends.

It’s Thanksgiving and I’m all alone in L.A.  But it’s all right: being alone is not the same as being lonely.  My husband left last night; he chose the busiest travel day of the year to fly home.  (When he booked his flight, he did not know Nov.25 was the day before Thanksgiving — when everyone in the U.S. is going home.)

I didn’t leave with my husband because I’m here to take care of some important business which is supposed to take 2 – 3 weeks.  I budgeted 4 weeks, but it was completed in one week!  So I’m stuck here because cheap tickets do not allow changes.  I don’t mind being alone; it gives me plenty of time to work on our blog.

Friends, however, would not leave me alone.  I declined all invitations to Thanksgiving dinner because I don’t feel like driving over an hour (one way) at night.  (California is so spread out; people here cannot live without their cars.)  And I don’t like turkey anyway.

On this family-oriented day, I think about my family and my second family here on this blog — all the JHJ fans that I hear from, some everyday.  We may not have met (yet), but I feel we are already family, united in our love of JHJ.

And I think about JHJ and his family, particularly his grievously ill father.  There is a Chinese saying: “Prolonged illness leaves one with no more filial sons.”  The sick person suffers, of course, but his family also suffers.  It is torture to watch a loved one wasting away.  By all accounts, JHJ’s father has been ill for several years.  That was why the burden to support the family fell on JHJ at such a tender age.  (He had to quit before finishing high school to work.)  The Chinese saying means protracted illness of a parent takes its toll on the children, and even filial children would find the burden too much to bear.  I have seen many such cases in real life.  Our JHJ, however, has been taking care of his sick father (and mother too) all these years and has not shown any signs of giving up.  The recent news report about his anxiety on not being able to visit his father whose health is deteriorating has touched a chord in many of his fans.

Many fans have left messages (on this blog and other JHJ websites) wishing JHJ’s father a speedy recovery.  But Mr. Jo Sr.’s is no ordinary illness, and recovery is an optimistic but unrealistic expectation.  “Stable” or “Not getting worse” seems to be the best that can be hoped for.  It breaks my heart to read that the bedridden father is constantly asking for his son: “When is Hyun-Jae coming?”  The report also says Mr. Jo Sr.’s condition has deteriorated to such an extent that he could no longer recognize his family.  I pray that if and when JHJ comes to his bedside, he will know his son.

It’s terrible to watch someone we love suffer.  Only now do I know it’s terrible to watch someone we love suffer because someone he loves is suffering.  I know JHJ will be strong.  But I feel he is the kind of person who suffers in silence.

All we can do is watch and pray — pray that God will watch over JHJ and his family.

(Credit: Photo from “3 Dads/1 Mom” – creation of Maridna that she calls “Blessed diary.”  Thanks!)

Below is a rare interview of Jo Hyun-Jae during the filming of “Seo Dong Yo” (sometime in early 2006, we think.)  He normally doesn’t grant interviews when he is working.

JHJ puts his all into “Seo Dong Yo”

Q. How did you land the role of Seo Dong?

A: Director Lee saw me in “Great Ambition” (Dae Mang) and liked what he saw.  He was very moved and impressed by my acting.  He felt I could convincingly portray a king in “Seo Dong Yo”.  Actually Director Lee thinks too highly of me.

Q. In “Seo Dong Yo”, Jang (Seo Dong) finally becomes King Mu of Baekje.  In real life, if you become a “king”, how would you perform your “kingly” duties?

A. Let all people live well — even though this is an impossible scenario for me.  It is easy to say but difficult to implement, with lots of problems.  I feel if arts/culture and science/technology were to develop at the same time and then combine their strengths……

Q. Which role in “Seo Dong Yo” do you like best?  There are so much dialogue in each episode and they are all so long.  Do you have a secret technique for not forgetting your lines?

A. None in particular; all my co-stars are fine actors.  The most unforgettable thing is lack of sleep.  The workload was very heavy and we spent a lot of time together, so we were very close.  [Editor:  We suspect there is a disconnect in the translation here.  We don't have access to the original; we are translating from the Chinese version.]

Q. You’re now acting in “Seo Dong Yo”.  This is certainly very different from your original role as a singer in “Guardian” when you first entered the entertainment industry?

A. I now concentrate exclusively on “Seo Dong Yo”.  I don’t think about anything else.

Q. Are you able to stand the very heavy workload in shooting, physically.  What about the condition of your skin?

A. The shooting schedule is so tight that even if there were only 20 minutes I have to snatch some sleep.  Because of lack of space, I can only lift weights in the van which is minimal exercise.  And I have to find time to read my fan mail.  So there is no time to take care of my skin.

Q. So the van can be used for sleeping and exercising.  Even then, have you been listening to music lately?  Do you have any favourite singers or songs?

A. Recently I prefer something quieter, like the singer “Spider” who is not too loud.

Q. How about saying a few words to the audience?

A. Many thanks for supporting “Seo Dong Yo”.  As an actor, I will continue to improve on my acting.  I will always do my best.  Thank you!

(Credit: Based on the Chinese translation by Bigcat of johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

The latest JHJ news (Nov.24) mentions that JHJ’s father has been suffering from the side-effects of Agent Orange for many years.  Some readers may not know what Agent Orange is, so here is some information for your reference.

Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War (1959-1975).  According to the post-war Vietnamese government, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.

From 1961 to 1971, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used in the herbicidal warfare program. During the production of Agent Orange, dioxins were produced as a contaminant, which have caused health problems for those exposed during the Vietnam War.

Early development

The earliest form of the compound triiodobenzoic acid was studied by Arthur Galston as a plant growth hormone. The research was motivated by the desire to adapt soybeans for short growing season.  Galston found that excessive usage of the compound caused catastrophic defoliation – a finding used by his colleague Ian Sussex to develop a family of herbicides. Galston was especially concerned about the compound’s side-effects on humans and the environment.

Description and effects on health

Agent Orange was given its name from the color of the 55 US gallons (210 L) orange-striped barrels it was shipped in.Three studies have suggested an increase in the risk of acute myelogenous leukemia in the children of Vietnam veterans, which might be associated with exposure to Agent Orange. Vietnamese children in the areas where Agent Orange was used have been badly affected and have multiple health problems including cleft palate, mental disabilities, hernias, and extra fingers and toes.

A UH-1D helicopter from the 336th Aviation Company sprays a defoliation agent on a dense jungle area in the Mekong Delta. 26 July 1969/National Archives photograph.

Use in the Vietnam War

During the Vietnam war, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed 77,000,000 litres of chemical defoliants in South Vietnam as part of a defoliant program. 20 percent of South Vietnam’s jungles were sprayed over a nine-year period. The first objective was to reduce the dense jungle foliage so that Communist forces might not use it for cover and to deny them use of crops needed for sustenance. In 1965, 42 percent of all herbicide spraying was dedicated to food crops. The second objective was spot clearing in sensitive areas such as around base perimeters.

In 1963, the United States (suspecting the negative effects) initiated a study on the health effects of Agent Orange that by 1967 confirmed that the chemical caused cancer, birth defects and other serious health problems. The outcome of the study had no effect whatsoever on the use of Agent Orange.

Use outside of Vietnam

Korea

In September 2000, the Veteran Administration (VA) acknowledged that Agent Orange was used in Korea in the late 1960s. Republic of Korea troops are reported to have done the spraying, which occurred along the demilitarized zone with North Korea.

South Korea’s involvement in the Vietnam War

The U.S. asked for help from its allies and South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines all sent troops.  South Korea had the second-largest contingent of foreign troops in South Vietnam after the United States. The first South Korean troops began arriving in 1964 and large combat battalions began arriving a year later, with the South Koreans soon developing a reputation for effectiveness. Indeed arguably, they conducted counter-insurgency operations so well that American commanders felt that Korean area of responsibility was the safest.

This was further supported when Vietcong documents captured after the Tet Offensive warned their compatriots to never engage Koreans until full victory was certain. Approximately 320,000 South Korean soldiers were sent to Vietnam, each serving a one-year tour of duty. Maximum troop levels peaked at 50,000 in 1968; however, all were withdrawn by 1973. More than 5,000 South Koreans were killed and 11,000 were injured during the war.
(Credit: Information from Wikipedia, edited by wulijohyunjae.)

Video set to the song “Cheers” by the late Hong Kong singer Danny Chan (whose own life, ironically, was a tragedy.)  The two videos are identical: the first is YOUTUBE and the second YOUKU (for our Chinese readers who cannot access YOUTUBE.)

Why do you have to suffer the agony of pain?

Hurry up and race towards the path of joy.

Even if there is only one iota of heat left

You still have to radiate light.

Seek and hold on to the good things of life.

When the spring breeze blows, the grass will awaken

There will never be a dead end.

Who knows what changes tomorrow will bring?

Why be pessimistic or believe in fate?

Like the sun which has just risen

You have to believe in a bright future.

Life is so precious; we’re all cheering for you.

On the way I will be by your side gently supporting you

You will make me feel so proud.

May blessing and happiness be with you all your life!

Turn every sigh into the will to live

Confidence will unravel the knots of life and death

Cloud and mist will disappear and the bright sun will emerge

I sincerely wish you will embark on that bright road to the future

I offer you my warmest wishes and constant cheers.

(Credit: kkisok of johyunjae.hk.  Many thanks!)